EMPIRE

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO THIS MONTH

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COMMENTS OF THE MONTH FROM FILM MAG TO

EMPIRE

Editor NICK DE SEMLYEN Creative Director CHRIS LUPTON

THIS MONTH

IT IS A truth universally acknowledged that putting

No./1 Is A.I. cinema’s latest villain?

Empire delves into the algorithm-fuelled minefield that’s looming

No./2 Giving Ariel a new voice

Rob Marshall on helping THE LITTLE MERMAID swim into the modern day

No./3 Why Hollywood won’t stop knockin’ on Dylan’s door

Two major new movies signal that the pioneering folk musician is bigger than ever

How to clone Alexander Skarsgård

The man himself and the INFINITY POOL team break down one trippy duplication

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY FILMS ABOUT… STUFF?

From 8-bit games to sneakers, Hollywood is giving everything an origin story

Napoleon vs Napoleon

Two A-list directors are marshalling projects about the French military commander. Who will emerge victorious?

John Wick is just getting started

Director CHAD STAHELSKI on the formidable task of amping up the action for Chapter 4

“Bong Joon-ho taught me how you should be a leader”

[ THE Q&A] STEVEN YEUN on playing a hothead in dark comedy Beef — and his growing Hollywood heat

History is about to get all shook up

Wild animated show Agent Elvis sees the singer fight crime across time

BEASTS IN WEIRD PLACES

These four-legged scene-stealers are far from home

From singing hymns to fighting the algorithm

MRS. DAVIS star Betty Gilpin on playing a motorcycle-riding nun and anti-A.I. warrior

BURT BACHARACH’S MAGIC MOMENTS

THE MUSIC LEGEND’S CINEMATIC LEGACY SPANS DECADES

BLACK IN FOCUS

AMON WARMANN chews over the main moment in Black film and TV this month

Behind The Power’s electric world order

Showrunner RAELLE TUCKER on bringing the bold bestselling novel to the small screen

Cinema’s new superpower: smell

Fantastical drama The Five Devils features a magical nose

Inside the VHS megaboom

A new video craze has seen movie fans going to extremes to fulfil their analogue dreams. We find out why

Prepare for Connor Roy: Endgame

Alan Ruck on the Roy empire’s final days, as Succession’s fourth and final season arrives

The Pope’s Exorcist

Unfiltered, uncensored, uncompromising trailer reactions from team EMPIRE

Abby Ryder Fortson

THE TEEN ACTOR STARS AS A GIRL NAVIGATING PUBERTY IN ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET.

How Raquel Welch made Hollywood take her seriously

[ IN MEMORIAM]

Buckle up for a road trip with a difference

JOY RIDE’s director on bringing a new kind of raucous comedy to the screen

NEXT IN THE SERIES

You fell in love with that incredible new TV show. And then it ended! Don’t despair — Boyd Hilton recommends the sibling shows to watch next

WELCOME TO THE TCU

Yes, Plane is getting a sequel. Yes, it’s called Ship. Empire predicts (wildly guesses) where this new Transportation Cinematic Universe might take us

PINT OF MILK

JENNIFER SAUNDERS Do you have a nickname? To

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOUR AMONG THIEVES

Doric (Sophia Lillis), Simon (Justice Smith) and Holga

OPERATION FORTUNE: RUSE DE GUERRE

Super-spy Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) and sidekick Sarah

COCAINE BEAR

Bear necessities: our ursine hero on the hunt.

CREED III

Eyeing up the competition: Adonis Creed (Michael B.

BROKER

★★★★ OUT NOW / CERT 12A / 129

WE HAVE A GHOST

★★★★ OUT NOW (NETFLIX) / CERT 12 /

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA

The villainous Kang (Jonathan Majors); Daughter-father team Cassie

GOD’S CREATURES

The bad son: Paul Mescal shines again as

MARLOWE

Too tired to care? Private detective Philip Marlowe

RYE LANE

Before teatime: Yas (Vivian Oparah) and Dom (David

INFINITY POOL

The ‘new you’ makeovers were a bit on

GODLAND

★★★★★ OUT 7 APRIL / CERT 12A /

MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE

★★ OUT NOW / CERT 15 / 112

SATTAR

★★★ OUT NOW / CERT 12A / 106

CHAMPIONS

★★★ OUT NOW / CERT 12A / 123

MEET ME IN THE BATHROOM

★★★ OUT NOW (CINEMAS), 27 MARCH (DIGITAL) /

ALLELUJAH

★★ OUT 17 MARCH / CERT 12A /

BREAKING

★★★★ OUT 27 MARCH / CERT 15 /

THE MANDALORIAN: SEASON 3

Back they are ★★★★ OUT NOW (DISNEY+) EPISODES

TED LASSO: SEASON 3

They think it’s all over… Nick Mohammed, Anthony

EXTRAPOLATIONS

The heat is on for billionaire Nicholas Bilton

STAR TREK: PICARD — SEASON 3

Next Gen legends Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Picard

ON SCREEN CHECKLIST

Your at-a-glance view of this month's reviews

SPINNING OUT

THE FIRST FILM BROKE GROUND AND BLEW MINDS. NOW, WITH SPRAWLING SEQUEL SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, THE TEAM WANT TO TAKE YOUR BRAIN TO ANOTHER DIMENSION IN FACT, MANY DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS

“EVERYONE KNOWS I’D BE A GREAT LIVE-ACTION MILES”

SHAMEIK MOORE TELLS EMPIRE ABOUT TAKING MILES MORALES ACROSS THE MULTIVERSE

“HE’S THE ONLY ‘NOT-FUNNY’ SPIDER-PERSON”

OSCAR ISAAC BREAKS DOWN HIS “RELUCTANT RINGLEADER”, MIGUEL O’HARA

“SHE’S AT A POINT NOW WHERE SHE CAN WRITE HER OWN STORIES”

HAILEE STEINFELD FILLS US IN ON THE EVOLUTION OF GWEN STACY… AKA SPIDER-GWEN

RAISING THE DEAD

WITH EVIL DEAD RISE, PRODUCER SAM RAIMI AND DIRECTOR LEE CRONIN HAVE JOINED FORCES TO GIVE THE CLASSIC HORROR FRANCHISE A FRESH COAT OF BLOOD. WE GOT THEM TOGETHER TO TALK TERROR

THE ART OF WAR

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT HAS SHAKEN VIEWERS TO THE BONE AND TAKEN THE AWARDS CIRCUIT BY STORM. WE SPEAK TO THE FILMMAKERS ABOUT THEIR EPIC JOURNEY

THE DEEP DIVE

IN OUR NEW REGULAR SERIES, WE EXPLORE A SLICE OF CINEMA LORE

GO FIGURE

MUSSO & FRANK’S VITAL STATS

THE LAST WORD

!SPOILER WARNING

THE LOSS

Tommy (Gabriel Luna), Joel’s brother. Joel (Pedro Pascal)

THE LAST DAY

A love that spans decades: Bill (Nick Offerman)

THE ENEMY

“When we finished the game, one of the

THE SWARM

Fungal zombie beasts of the night: A Bloater

THE BROTHERS

Henry (Lamar Johnson) and his little brother Sam

THE STAR-CROSSED LOVERS

Love story: Riley (Storm Reid) takes Ellie (Bella

THE PREACHER

Cannibal paedophile David (Scott Shepherd) imprisons Ellie. Moral

THE BIRTH

Ellie’s mother Anna (Ashley Johnson). Every hero needs

THE CHOICE

Joel rescues Ellie from hospital. The needs of

THE PROMISE

Will there be new beginnings for Joel and

GREEN EGGS AND MAYHEM

BEFORE HE WAS A LITERARY SENSATION, THEODOR GEISEL — AKA DR. SEUSS — BROUGHT HIS ABSURDIST STYLINGS TO TINSELTOWN. THE RESULT, BONKERS FANTASY THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T, WOULD PUT HIM OFF FILMMAKING FOREVER…

SEUSS ON SCREEN

TRACKING THE GOOD DOCTOR’S CELLULOID UPS AND DOWNS — SEUSSILY

Best in class

INDISPENSABLE HOME ENTERTAINMENT

The fear factor

We Have A Ghost director CHRISTOPHER LANDON on his freaky horror career

MARK KERMODE'S MOVIE PLAYLIST

THE CRITIC AND SCALA RADIO PRESENTER CHOOSES SCORES HE’S BEEN PLAYING ON HIS WEEKLY SHOW

THE STORY OF THE SHOT

How iconic images came to life

THE RANKING

Four Empire writers. Ten movies. Ordered definitively.

THE TOP TEN

1 BLUE VELVET (1986) Chris: “So Lynchian that

THE VIEWING GUIDE

A deep dive into the must-see moments from the month’s big release

The Producer

Legendary British impresario JEREMY THOMAS reflects on the great directors of his storied career

THE MASTERPIECE

We reassess the greatest films of all time, one film at a time

THE MISSING MARVEL

HOW ALAIN RESNAIS ALMOST MADE A MOVIE WITH STAN LEE

THE CULT OF KIM NEWMAN

The critic and novelist selects the month’s weirdest home-ent releases

6 OF THE BEST

Team Empire on the month’s essential movies and TV

A SONOS RAY ALL-IN-ONE SOUNDBAR

This issue we’re of fering you the chance

CLASSIC SCENE

Standout sequences from the great movies